Aston Costa Verde Beach Resort: Pleased with the resort

We were very pleased with the resort. The grounds were clean and the pool and pool area were extremely clean. Rooms are basic (Holiday Inn type) but kept very clean. On the first night, we were on the first floor and had problems with ants. That is not surprising given that we are on a tropical island but we asked for a room on the second floor and it was not a problem. Next visit, I would request a room on the second floor or higher. My biggest surprise was the food. We went with an open mind a [... read more]nd were quite pleased with the food, especially in the main buffet. Since we were in the plus side, we had access to the A la carte restaurants and the lobster dinner. The Italian and Spanish were good but I would not bother with the lobster dinner again. I would probably eat at the buffet more often and skip some of the restaurants. Service was excellent everywhere and drinks were quite good. VIP lounge is excellent. Beach and water was great. You do have to get up early to get a shaded spot on the beach and it was needed given the hot weather while we were there. Would return to the Blau again and would recommend it.

Paradisus Rio De Oro: Simply a Wonderful Peaceful Resort

First of all the Staff are AMAZING! Frankly we have never stayed at a Resort with such wonderful, fun loving staff. The staff get an awesome 5 star class and go over and beyond their duties. The grounds are beautiful, We stayed one week at the main resort and one week at the Royal. We enjoyed both. The Royal is very peaceful. We didn't enjoy the Royal Restaurant as much as the Main Buffet, but the Main Buffet is a two minute ride from the Royal. We really enjoyed the Main Buffet with so many cho [... read more]ices of food being cooked right in front of you. The Ocean and Beach are breathtaking. I know why so many people just keep coming back to this resort. It is one in a million!

Don Lino Hotel: quiet little retreat

Hotel itself is nice, located directly on a beautiful sandy beach, (however to go into the ocean you will need water shoes to walk in... lots of rock and sea urchins) We found the food typical cuban food, fairly good, we never went hungry :) service is a little slow and the locals come in on the weekends and seem to get preferential treatment. Our unit had a problem with bees on our balcony, which was not dealt with until the 3rd day. and not totally eliminated... seems they were full and could  [... read more]not move us to another location. The rooms are are dark but neat and clean, air conditioning worked fine and so did our little bar fridge. The bartenders will change your money for you... or you have to taxi into town to find a bank. We used the bartenders and just changed enough for our 25 CUP exit tax and tip money... We both snorkel and were kind of disappointed in the marine life, you had to go a fair ways out past the main reef to see anything much... We did find three large porcupine fish and a few small eels, 2 octopus and various other species, just not in large quantities like Playa Pesquero further down the coast. For the price it is fine for a week, if you go for two weeks you would be bored without heading to market or town for a day. Night life is non-existent, but we don't go for that. Pool is small but also well kept, grounds are natural, farm animals greet you out of the darkness as they wander freely at night :) rooster and hens will awaken you at sunrise. All in all a very peaceful resort to get away and relax in the sun. I would not recommend this resort for children, most people were 50-75 age group.

Sol Turquesa Beach: Beautiful resort

Memories of Holguin was an amazing trip!! The resort has beautifully well kept grounds, buffet and a la carts were delicious, 5 beautiful pools, swim up bar with awesome bartenders!! We were able to sit back and relax and enjoy the palm trees and atmosphere. We are looking for to going back next year!!

Playa Costa Verde: Great resort to relax and be entertained

The grounds are well maintained. Big, comfy rooms are located in the 2-storey villas. Buffet food is good and testy with lots to choose from. My favourite is a seafood preparation grill. If anybody is bored of buffet there are three a'la carte restaurants and 24-hour snack restaurant/bar with good offer. Lobby bar has new wood furniture. Every night spectacular dance show or concert can be enjoyed in amphitheatre. What makes this resort special is a professional, friendly service on every level  [... read more]from lobby stuff to waiters, house keeping etc.. They really make you feeling welcomed.

Club Amigo Atlantico Guardalavaca: Decent Resort

very large resort - 4 pools and tons of places to eat. stayed in main hotel and room was quite damp, would recommend upgrade to Villa or Bungalow. Always find something to eat, good location, staff wonderful.

Club Amigo Atlantico Guardalavaca: Additions & Improvements

Grounds: Buildings newly painted, looking great. Gardeners out everyday picking up fallen leaves to keep a tidy look. A very large resort with many areas to explore. A short walk to local market that supplies all of Guardalavaca, Holguin resorts. Dining: 2 Buffets, 6 Snack Bars , a 24 hour bar, a la cartes that you already received a date and time to go, at check-in , so didn't have to wait in a long line to sign up this time!!! Much Better! 2 swim-up bars, and the new Pirate Bar at the Christo [... read more]pher Columbus beach. Pirate takes a long time to open but certainly has a little more pride in making the drinks. Fruit etc in your drinks. Not sure why Lounge chairs are locked up at this beach even after 11am when staff have been on duty for awhile.? Snack bars seemed to shut down early each day with waitresses saying they have no food left. Is it because I don't tip everytime I go to bar? Other people are getting food! Rooms: We were in Bungalows which I feel were best for us because of our mobility issues. Everything was close. Snack bars, buffet, swim up bar, coffee bar, bank, (not sure why Main Hotel bank was closed all week?) Heard they went bankrupt. The only thing we had a bit of walking for was the beach and 24 hour bar,and we just pre planned so we didn't have too much extra walking.

Aston Costa Verde Beach Resort: somewhat disappointing

overall, this resort was disappointing...it started on arrival, with 2 busloads of people and only 2 staff working check in...1.5 hrs later we had our room at 1 am...the rooms were old, but comfortable, public toilets were small, run down, dirty and sometimes without toilet seats. The food was good for Cuba, the beach was beautiful, but lots of rocks in the water...entertainment was outstanding...loved the live bands...but the biggest disappointment was the staff...no eye contact, rarely smiled, [... read more] appeared to be bothered when you asked them anything, esp at the a la cartes...they seemed very busy, not enough staff, and they took it out on the guests;instead of laying the plate of food in front of my friend, they hurriedly dropped the plate to the side and rushed off...we just felt "in the way"

Club Amigo Atlantico Guardalavaca: Awesome place

We just spent a week at Club Amigo and I must say we had an awesome time. The resort was older but was very clean, rooms were cleaned daily. There was not a problem finding food to eat or drinks. The night life was great from nightly shows to disco. The staff were awesome . The vibe at this resort was up beat and fun

Playa Pesquero: great vacation

The flight was nice and easy, the weather was hot and comfortable, the bus ride was also good and comfortable, the playa pesquero resort was overall great, the hotel , the food, the sweet table, the service,the beach was amazing. would definetily recommend this hotel and would also go back.

Aston Costa Verde Beach Resort: Great vacation spot!!!

I will start with room. We upgrade to the plus side and was extremely happy with room. I was very happy to see a full size walk in shower that was spotless!! Beds were comfortable, fridge stocked daily, room extremely clean and nice size balcony. We had plenty of choices for eating, swimming and activities. Upgrading allowed us the private pool which had plenty of space. Lots of chairs, never had to worry about getting a pool side lounge chair. We had two large buffet restaurants or you could ma [... read more]ke reservations for one of many al carts. We never experienced long line ups either at the buffets or bars. I was worried about this because our vacation was over the march break. No need to worry. To sum it up, great vacation! Food was good, always a choice, no long line ups, friendly staff, pool areas great, room fantastic and I will go back. Sorry no comment on the beach I prefer pools.. Did enjoy walking shore nightly but swimming not so much, very rocky.

Brisas Guardalavaca: Nice resort. Dated but very clean.

On first sight pulling up to the hotel it appears very dated and in need of a facelift, however, our views quickly changed once inside and in the pool area. Grounds are very well kept and the staff is consistently cleaning. Very nice layout and the beach although not very long was lovely. The villa section is definitely the nicer area, quieter and more relaxing. It was nice to have the option for a short walk to the main hotel where there were plenty of activities and entertainment if you chose. [... read more] The food was not as bad as expected for Cuba. The buffets in both the villa section and the main hotel provided a lot of options. We were quite satisfied with all four a la carte dinners we had. Service was good and the staff was friendly. There were a few incidentals that were not expected such as the very dear exchange rate from Cuban Peso to Canadian currency. The rate we had to pay was $1.32 Canadian for $1 CUC. The cost for the airport departure tax was equivalent to $70 Canadian. Also, we were not aware until day three that you had to purchase a lock for the safe in the room. We assumed that by giving the front desk $20 Canadian for a lock that it would be returned when we brought back it back on check out, however we were wrong. Also, there is a very strict policy on your beach towels. You wouldn't want to misplace them as you would have to pay $15 CUC for each one not returned. We would recommend bringing lots of snacks and before settling in on your first night make sure to have plenty of bottled water as the one they give you will not last long. In all it was a nice place, beautiful weather with a nice consistent breeze. We would consider going back. The poorest experience we had would have to be the flight and the Holguin airport experience. The seating on the plane was extremely tight for my husband and I are both over 5' 8". The Holguin airport was extremely disorganized and left much to be desired for both the arrival and departure. We won't elaborate other then to suggest you pack your patience and remember you are not in Canada! If on a return trip we would consider upgrading the flight experience and feel the extra cost would be worth it! We will highly recommend purchasing a $25 VIP from your travel rep at the hotel for the return flight. This helps you avoid all the line ups on your departure.

Brisas Guardalavaca: Really enjoyed time at Brisas Guardelavaca!

Staff very friendly and efficient, always some kind of great entertainment going on, beach was just gorgeous! Food was not always tasty (overcooked meat, vegetables,...). Loved the lobby entertainment every evening around 7 p.m. The only thing I didn't like was having to get up around 6 in the morning to reserve a spot on the beach by putting my beachtowel on a loungechair. Getting a loungechair was otherwise impossible.

Aston Costa Verde Beach Resort: Love the area

We were there March 19-26 2015, this was our third trip to Cuba and this is the first time I've felt like I'd go back - not only to the area but to the resort itself. Previously we were at the Husa Cayo Santa Maria in April of 2013 and Paradisus Princessa Del Mar in Varadero in April of 2014. Now we just love the Holguin area. It has both a beautiful countryside and a relaxing city life. We didn't feel pressured for anything the way we did in Varadero and it was a shorter trip to the excursions  [... read more]than in Santa Maria. The beach at our resort was rocky but we knew that going in and as a result had something interesting to look at while snorkeling. Our only disappointment was the a la cartes. We were on a 'plus package' which included access to another pool and VIP bar and more a la cartes including a 'lobster dinner'. This turned out to be a fish stew served at the second buffet. Not at all a typical a la carte experience. If we had known, we would have opted to have one of the other a la cartes that were supposedly booked up. Maybe these could be booked ahead of time in order to avoid this problem. As I said though, this was the only disappointment, overall a good bang for the buck.

Brisas Guardalavaca: Amazing trip to Brisas guardalavaca

Fifth time to Cuba. First time to this resort! Loved it! It was a friendly, clean and super nice place. Grounds were kept very nice at all times. It was a quieter resort which I really liked. Not a lot to due but we went for to totally relax and just wnjoy the beach and sunshine. We hung out in the beach everyday and swam in the ocean everyday. Had fun in the disco and walked to the flea market just past the next resort, had a nice selection of trinkets. The hotel rooms are a little date because [... read more] of the wood in the rooms but they were newly painted and saw them doing some painting while we were there, so they are keeping up with stuff. Staff was friendly and lots of food. I would go back to this resort no questions asked. Loved it. My only Complaints were one being at the very end. Had some people come into the resort and they were yelling in the hallways and being very ignorant and in regards to other people staying in the resort. The other was you had to get up at 530 to put towels on chairs at the beach, which is fine if people actually went and sat in them, I find people are very ignorant about putting towels on chairs and NOT bothering to even go to the beach, others would come down wanting to sit and no chairs ( that is so rude)Other than those 2 complaints we had a wonderful stay.

Brisas Guardalavaca: Pleasant and relaxing getaway

Grounds are well maintained, smoothy bar for breakfast and lunch daily. Nice beach, enjoyed snorkelling on site. Good selection of food offered recommend the stirfry station quality and service. Bathrooms well maintained, "only used them inside the hotel" Room was clean a little too cold and the thermostat did not adjust the temperature, bring a spare blanket and open the blinds to warm the room. Get your beach chair early to enjoy sune and shade throughout the day. The shows where fantastic spe [... read more]cifically the water dance performance. I will be returning.

Club Amigo Atlantico Guardalavaca: A great resort!

This was our fourth stay at Club Amigo Guardalavarca. Needless to say we love the rural area, which is safe to explore, the friendliness of resort staff and guests. Other highlights include the fact that there are four pool areas, so you can choose a quiet pool to relax by or a vibrant one with lots of activity! The public beach adjacent to the resort is gorgeous and although busy, there is never a concern about finding a lounger and shady spot to relax in between swims. Being public, it also al [... read more]lows one to mix with local Cubans if you wish to do so. No sales harassment on the beach, just a few people selling snacks. There are always improvements each time we go and this year we were pleased to see more a la carte dinners available each evening, a second swim up bar and the opening of a tea room in a lovely garden setting in the main hotel. A great, friendly resort for family, couples or singles!

Aston Costa Verde Beach Resort: Great Vacation

Central area of hotel was good, added blocks of rooms seemed a bit far, we were in the main part of the hotel. Room was dated but clean. We were a couple, so we didn't have a problem finding chairs at the beach. The staff in the hotel, everywhere, was exceptional, very personable and accommodating. Food was good, I could always find something that appealed to me. I am not a foodie so this was not important for me. Clean room, great staff, wonderful beach, lost of snorkelling and I felt secure. G [... read more]reat vacation all around for us.

Sol Turquesa Beach: Spacious Resort with Excellent Service

A well planned resort with plenty of space around several pools and a wonderful beach, the Memories Hologuin provides a very restful vacation. The activities are as excellent as the staff who lead them. The front desk was invariably helpful with the tricky internet and the handy currency exchange desk was efficient. As with most Cuban resorts the food situation was not always of the highest caliber but there was always something tasty to eat and the servers were invariably courteous and helpful.

Brisas Guardalavaca: Everything you could want

My first time to Cuba. I had heard lots of complaints and that finding a good resort was important. Friends had recommended this one. They were right. Make sure you book the a-la-carte restaurants. The buffet has lots of great choices but the restaurants are outstanding. Especially "El Patio"... singing waiters... great experience. This resort seems to cater to mostly an older crowd or families with older children.